On the other hand, Sony is also introducing their own HDTV models which has the Google TV platform built into the set (so you won’t need the Logitech box anymore).
Google TV with have the Chrome browser into the system and of course allow users to download/install web apps. Google TV will initially be only available in the US around 3rd quarter of this year.
Last night, Nokia finally revealed its latest 12-megapixel HD handset, the Nokia N8 (leaked pictures came in as early as two months ago here). It’s got a large camera sensor that rivals most point-and-shoot cameras out there.
Nokia N8
3.5 inches AMOLED screen @ 360×640 pixels
16 GB storage
up to 32GB via microsSD
256MB RAM, 512MB ROM
HSDPA 10.2Mbps, HSUPA 2Mbps
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.1 w/ A2DP
12MP autofocus camera w/ Carl Zeiss optics, Xenon flash
Symbian ^3 OS
ARM 11 680MHz processor
3D Graphics HW accelerator
FM Radio with RDS
FM transmitter
GPS w/ aGPS support
1200mAh Li-Po battery
This could be the most cameraphone Nokia has ever built. Nokia N8 uses a 1/2 inch (1/1.9″) CMOS sensor 30% larger than most compact digital cameras with a maximum shutter speed of 1/1000 of a second (aperture F2.8; focal length 5.4). Video recoding can go up to 720p HD @ 25fps.
That large storage option (16GB internal + up to 32GB external) should be enough for doing all that HD video recording and large photo file size. The AMOLED capacitive touch screen should make video playback really nice and crisp although the 1200mAh battery seemed a little lacking for all that juice-guzzling features (a number of earlier Nokia handsets have 1500mAh batteries already).
The Nokia N8 is set to be released by 3rd quarter of 2010 with an estimated price of Php22,000 before taxes.
source: YUGATECH
RIM announces two new BlackBerry phones which will be out by next month, the Blackberry Bold 9650 and the Blackberry Pearl 3G.
BlackBerry Bold 9650
2.44 inches @ 480×360 pixels
Full QWERTY keyboard
Optical Trackpad
up to 16GB via microSD
HSDPA 3.6 Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth 2.1 w/ A2DP
GPS with aGPS support
3.15MP autofocus camera w/ LED flash
BlackBerry OS 5.0
1500mAh Li-Ion battery
As for the BlackBerry Pearl 3G, the new handset is basically a 3G-equipped (HSDPA 3.6 Mbps) version of the old model plus a minor upgrade of the WiFi to draft-N.
Even the design and specs of the BB Bold 9650 isn’t that much distinguishable to the recently released Bold 9700. Most probably, this could be a cheaper version of the 9700. We’ll know once we get the official local release.
source: YUGATECH
A step by step guide through the whole process.
Here the steps:
1. Sign Up to CPALead
2. Download the secret method for free.
(This method based on 10 pages PDF format. There are 3 methods provided i.e., Movie/Youtube method, template/wordpress method and eBook/article pack method)
3. CPA Approval Guide
As everyone knows, you can make a huge amount of money in marketing via the CPA networks. In a fact, a recent product selling for $2,000 was created by two unknown CPA marketers making up to $100,000 a day. This report will show you how to get accepted by 7 different CPA networks, even though you didn’t now what CPA stood for two weeks ago. Here to Download CPA Approval Guide. (Based on 41 pages PDF. Table of Contents:What Is CPA?,The Networks, How to Get Accepted the First Time Out, Get a Tracking Pixel, The CPA Networks, Applying with the CPA Networks, Make the Call The Interview, What If You Get Turned Down?, Step-By-Step Process Overview, The Icing on the Cake, Get Out There and Take Action)
By downloading this trick, now you know how to use CPA Lead, these are just some methods, there are plenty more. I will update another CPA method, tips and trick periodically in this page. So I recommend to bookmark this page to stay tune for the newest update.
Good Luck
I am writing this blog entry with the iPad as a testament that this device can also be a content-creation device.
I un-boxed the iPad last night and downloaded some free iPad apps as well as the paid apps I bought for my iPhone.
Here’s the short clip I uploaded on YouTube.
So I’m doing this entry purely with the iPad. So far it’s pretty doable and comfortable for short entries like this. I had a bit of a hard time switching between tabs and copying the YouTube codes. I also used Safari instead of the WordPress app and the iFrames aren’t working.
So far, I think it’s very doable for light blogging.
source: yugatech
I’ve tried a couple of Sony handycams before (starting with the XR100 and then the XR200) and they just get better and beefier each time around.
The latest one I’ve been using for the last couple of weeks is the Sony HDR-XR350 which introduced a couple of improvements from its predecessor.
The internal HDD storage has been bumped to 160GB from 80GB on the XR100. As usual, the handycam can do 1080i (1920×1080 pixels) movie recording and 7MP for still photos. Sony claims it can do up to 67 hours of video recording but have not verified it though.
The built-in wide-angle lens is capable of 29.8-357.6mm (35mm conversion) focal distance with a nice aperture opening between F/1.8-3.4. Sony boasts of very high quality low-light shooting with Exmor so we had to test this on the road.
This sample 1080p video was taken during last week-end’s Manila International Auto Show 2010. This one is for the low-light test.
Some of the videos have been downscaled using CyberLink MediaShow Espresso as they are too large to upload as raw files. This other one is the zoom test (12x) taken during our recent Holy Week trip to Anilao.
This one is the Steady Shot mode which reduces camera shake when on the move (somewhat similar to an image stabilizer):
That Steady Shot feature isn’t really very apparent unless you pair it with a regular video recorder and notice the camera shake. During the Sony event last February, we tested this one while running around ala-Amazing Race and it seemed to work.
They also placed the handycam on an electronic rocker to shake it while recording and it captures a very stable footage (I also tried jumping up and down along with the rocker to see it will cancel that stabilizing effect).
The Sony HDR-XR350 handycam has a suggested retail price of Php64,999 in stores.
source: yugatech
After about a week of heavy use of the Apple iPad, I’ve gotten down to familiarize myself with Steve’s new toy. Check out my personal review of the iPad after the jump.
I insisted on writing this entire review on the iPad to see if I can crack it. I used Notes to write the text as the WordPress Dashboard has some limitations with the Safari browsing not fully rendering iframes.
The photos though were transferred from my dSLR, edited and uploaded to Picasa Web using a PC. Now that the photos are in the cloud, I can include them in the post by linking to them. This part is impossible to do on the iPad.
This exercise gave me a better perspective on how the iPad performs and is instrumental for coming up with my final thoughts and conclusion for the review.
Design and Construction
For a first-generation tablet from Apple, the iPad is surprisingly thin and light. The body is completely made of solid aluminum that encases a thick solid piece of glass. Simplicity and minimalist approach has been Apple’s signature and the iPad offers just that.
Aside from the lonesome Home button at the bottom of the display, the power button is positioned on top, the volume rocker on the right side along with the screen orientation lock. The toggle allows you to lock the screen to a specific orientation so the display doesn’t rotate when you’re lying down (like on a couch or in bed). The built-in speakers are also found on the bottom while the 3.5mm headphone jack is on top.
The design is pretty solid and the device is so thin it rivals even the thinnest smartphones out there. Being lightweight and thin is key to the portability of the device. It makes it more comfortable to hold with one hand for prolonged periods of time.
Display and Touchscreen
Size does matter and the iPad’s form factor offers a great combination between portability and mobile computing. The screen size is perfect for watching movies, viewing photos and reading text or browsing at a comfortable distance minus the crouching or squinting most people do with an iPhone, iPod Touch or any smartphone. This allows for prolonged use of the device without straining the eyes too much.
Those familiar with the display of the iPhone and the iPod Touch will be pleasantly surprised with the screen of the iPad. It’s not the best display I’ve seen (Super AMOLED display is still very expensive at this size) but the graphics are crisp and bright. The wide black bezel allows enough space for hand-holding the tablet without blocking the screen.
Of course, as with most shiny glass display, the screen is practically useless in the outdoors, under the sun or against a bright light source. This could be one of the biggest reason why Kindle users will not give up their e-readers in exchange of the iPad.
The virtual keyboard is sized and spaced generously that allows for comfortable typing. I reckon I am able to do 30 – 40 words per minute with it. Not bad considering I’m no touch-typist.
Performance and Battery Life
The 1.0GHz A4 chip may not be the fastest processor around if you compared it to the ones running most netbooks these days but since the iPad runs on the iPhone OS, the system performs really well.
I think Apple did the right move of using the iPhone OS instead of the Mac OS. One can only imagine how the iPad will perform with OS X considering the processor used and the amount of memory on-board. Besides, how else can Apple make more money from its iTunes ecosystem?
As for battery life, the iPad scored high marks for making it close to the promised 10 hours on a single charge. I didn’t have the luxury of sitting down for 10 straight hours to monitor the battery but I am able to clock in about 9+ hours in aggregate use in the course of a day (I’d already consider it an all-day computing device). On casual use, the iPad lasts about 2 and a half days before it completely discharges. The sleep mode really helps in conserving battery.
The Apps
The iPad-specific apps are just amazing as they maximize the screen real estate. Again, size does matter. One may not see the stark difference if you’re coming from a netbook perspective for those coming from the iPod Touch or iPhone (or any smartphone for that matter) point-of-view, it’s a huge improvement.
As I write this review, iPad-specific apps are still very few and number only in the hundreds. However, Apple says all of the 185,000 iPhone apps on the App Store can also be installed and used on the iPad (there could be a few that’s not completely compatible though).
More iPad apps are being developed but for the meantime, the iPhone apps can still fill the entire screen using a zoom-in function (the 2x zoom does make the graphics more pixelated).
My biggest beef so far is that iPad apps are way more expensive than the regular iPhone apps. Don’t really understand the logic behind that.
Conclusion
There’s been a huge debate on whether the iPad can replace the netbook. I’d blame Steve Jobs for openly challenging the netbook market and touting the iPad as the better alternative to mobile computing.
But, can the iPad really replace the netbook? My quick answer is a big, loud No; and a faint yes.
No. The iPad cannot do everything a netbook can. Forget about video chat, photo/video editing, or even playing FarmVille. Moreso if you’re heavily oriented on a Windows machine and dependent on specific tools and applications. Some apps may offer functions of productivity tools but are quite limited.
Yes. If your netbook usage pattern is strictly consumptive (i.e. surfing, chatting, email, social networking) then the iPad can easily replace the netbook for those tasks. In some instances, the iPad might even offer a better user experience over the latter (like reading for hours on end).
The iPad is an internet appliance, closer to a toy than a personal computer — it’s got limited features but does what it intended to do very nicely. Some people will hate it, others will love it. And that’s just how the iPad rolls.
Note: I re-wrote 80% of this review on my trusty netbook after finishing the first draft on the iPad. Got into trouble with “cut & paste” and lost almost everything I wrote using the iPad.
And to those asking where/how I got the iPad, check out this store.We’ve hard had some face-time with the Samsung Monte (S5620) and I thought it’s a nice little touchscreen phone. It’s got most features of high-end phones without the expensive price tag.
The Samsung S5620 isn’t really a smartphone in itself but the TouchWiz 2.0 UI does a good job with providing a responsive and easy-to-use interface.
The design is a little funky with all that color combination and accents but they actually blended well. The all-plastic body has a matte finish so you need not have to worry about smudges and finger-prints except on the screen itself.
It’s got a 3-inch screen with a resolution of 240×400 pixels — not really that large a real-estate but enough for a candy-bar form factor. The capacitive touch screen is not very bright but crisp and responsive enough for easy navigation. The slightly small screen real estate makes it harder to compose SMS but it’s doable (takes some time to practice). Likewise, since the TouchWiz UI is heavily widget-based, the screen gets too crowded with overlapping widgets really fast.
The Samsung Monte was created to target users who need all the connectivity options possible so you’ve got WiFi 802.11 b/g and 3G here. Bluetooth and GPS are also present as well as an FM Radio. Samsung even included apps like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace into the handset so you can start connecting with your social networks out of the box.
The built-in browser is decent but not very capable — it’s a bit slow as well but tolerable considering the unit does not sport as fast chip.
I didn’t bother including sample photos and videos of the 3MP camera because they’re not really that good anyway. They’re usable but not really the strongest features of the phone.
(Note: I had to cut short my regular use of the phone once I discovered that my text messages goes out blank when sent to others. The SMS arrives but the recipient gets an empty message. The issue is isolated to this unit alone though.)
I’d put the Samsung Monte S5620 into that category just before the smartphone — full of features but does not burn a hole in the pocket. With a suggested retail price of Php11,000 (already selling close to Php10k in stores), it’s a worthwhile option. However, the Android-powered Samsung Spica could spoil the party since it’s pretty close in terms of pricing.
source: yugatech
Inno3D yesterday showed us their new flagship graphics card — the GeForce GTX 470/480, their fastest GPUs so far (and also claims as currently the fastest in the world).
The numbers will speak for themselves and the GeForce GTX 480 has some pretty stats to its credit.
Inno3D GeForce GTX 480
700MHz core speed
480 shader processors @ 1,401MHz
384-bit interface
1.5GB GDDR5 RAM @ 1,848MHz
Being the top of the line video card, the GTX480 does not come cheap. Expect it to be selling north of Php25,000 in stores.
If you’re looking for something more affordable, the GTX470 is next in line.
Inno3D GeForce GTX 470
607MHz core speed
448 shader processors @ 1,215MHz
320-bit interface
1.28GB GDDR5 RAM @ 1,674MHz
The GTX470 has a price point of at least Php15,000 in stores.
The GTX480 takes about 3 slot spaces in the PC while the GTX470 takes 2 slot spaces. Both cards has the blessings of nVidia’s CUDA, 3D Vision and PhysX technologies as well as support for Microsoft’s DirectX 11.
Disclosure: The GTX470 box in the photos above is the prize I won during their raffle at the Inno3D prescon. It will find its way to my PC, replacing the old GTX275.
source: yugatech
When I was contacted by someone from the distributor of VersaClean if I could check out and review their product, I got curious if it was the same one I bought and tried out last year.
Turns out, they’re practically the same. Either it’s a re-packaging or a completely competing brand (I’m leaning towards the second).
So I looked for the old one I bought back in August and compared the two — same neon-yellow color, rubbery and feels wet. I realized that yellow is the best color to use since you can easily spot the dirt that clings to it.
The only difference, aside from the packaging, would be the price. VersaClean comes in a single package of 140 grams of the compound and sells for only Php249 (the other one I bought earlier costs Php350 for the same amount).
Depending on the number of electronic gadgets you have, these compound could last about a six months to a year. They tend to dry off fast if exposed in the open so they need to be sealed in the container when not in use. I’m bringing this one around along with my camera bag and so far, it’s great for light cleaning.
As of the moment, VersaClean is available at MC Home Depot but you can make orders thru their website at www.versaclean.com.ph
I mean, both the chargers and the data cables (since in some handsets, they are one and the same). We have tons of them — the mini-USB, the micro-USB, serial cable, the SE, Samsung and LG proprietary ports, the iPhone, the HTC ports and so many more.
That doesn’t even end there — a single manufacturer can even have multiple ports for different models of their handsets.
I do understand some of the reason why they had to adapt their own power/data ports and it’s primary because they don’t want their own chargers/data cables being used by users for other branded handsets. But for one manufacturer to use multiple ports for different models of their own brand is very weird.
Ok, so I lost my data/charger cable for my HTC Hero. The port lloks like your regular mini-USB but the trapezoid shape doesn’t actually fit the standard one. I had to go around and look for a replacement data/charger cable to no avail. I also have another cable from my Google Nexus One, which is basically just a rebranded HTC handset, but that one uses a micro-USB.
Can they just get along and adapt a single cable format? I’d vote for the micro-USB. It’s readily available in stores and you can buy them for just a couple hundred bucks.
During this afternoon’s virtual event, Nokia introduced 3 new messaging devices, two of which are members of the new C-series of handsets.
The Nokia C6 is a 3.2-inch touchscreen phone with a full qwerty slide-out keyboard and 3G/HDSP 7.2Mbps, WiFi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.0, 5MP AF camera, and GPS running Symbian OS v9.4, Series 60 release 5. This one looks like a cross between the 5800XM and the E75.
The Nokia C3 is a full-qwerty phone with WiFi, Blueooth, 2 MP camera, FM stereo and GPS. This one is looking to be a cheaper version of the popular Nokia E63. The absence of 3G or even EDGE connectivity is intriguing though.
The Nokia E5 is another full-qwerty smartphone that could easily be an upgrade to the E72 model. It’s got 3G/HSDPA 10.2Mbps, WiFi 802.11 b/g. Bluetooth 2.0, a 5MP fixed-focus camera, stereo FM tuner, and GPS running Symbian OS v9.3, Series 60 release 3.2.
The C-series phones will be released this 2nd quarter while the E5 will come out in the 3rd quarter. The Nokia C6 will have a suggested retail price of $299 (Php13,500), the Nokia C3 will be about $122 (Php5,500) and the Nokia E5 is around $245 (Php11,00).
Wrote down a side by side comparison on the German-born WePad and the Apple iPad. What was lacking then was the release price and now we got the confirmation and the complete specs.
In an official announcement today, the WePad will come in two flavors and will be priced competitively against the iPad.
WePad
11.6″ display screen @ 1366×768 pixels
Intel Atom N450 1.66GHz
16GB Flahs Drive
WiFi 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth 2.1
2 x USB ports
1.3MP webcam
Card Reader
The WePad also runs a modified Android OS. The Li-Ion battery can go up to 6 hours and the device supports Flash and Adobe Air. The retail price is $611 for the basic model. If you upgrade to 32GB with 3G and GPS, the rpcie goes up to $774.
Pre-orders starts on April 27 but will be limited in Germany only. Global release won’t happen until August.
We gathered some pretty basic benchmarks of laptops and desktop PCs to get their relative performance with each other. We used PassMark Performance Test for this purpose. In this entry, we looked at the Sony Vaio Y.
Sony Vaio Y specs:
13.3″ display screen @ 1366×768 pixels
Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 @ 1.3GHz
Intel GMA 4500MHD
2GB DDR3 RAM
320GB HDD
PassMark Results:
CPU Compression: 2773.4 KB/s
CPU Encryption: 16.5 MB/s
Find Prime Number: 444.2 operations per second
CPU Integer Math: 113.5 million operations per second
CPU Floating Point: 414.6 million operations per second
Graphics 3D Simple: 406.7 fps (32-bit)
Graphics 3D Medium: 53.6 fps (32-bit)
Graphics 3D Complex: 17.2 fps (32-bit)
CPU Mark: 773.5
2D Graphics Mark: 131.2
3D Graphics Mark: 152.8
Memory Mark: 228
Disk Mark: 429.7
Passmark Rating: 372.5
Windows Experience Index:
Here’s a reference for Windows Experience Index of the CPU compared to others in the netbook/ultraportable category:
We’ve been using this nifty gaming rig from Asus, the Sabertooth 55i which is powered by the new Intel Core i7 and an ATI Radeon HD 5800 series.
The CPU is the new Intel Core i7-860 with 4 cores and 2 threads each core for a total of 8 threads in all. This chip runs on the Socket 1156LGA and 8MB L2 Cache. Base clock speed is 2.8GHz that goes up to 3.46 GHz with Turbo Boost Technology.
Graphics Engine: ATI Radeon HD 5870
Bus Standard: PCI Express 2.0
Video Memory: 1GB DDR5
Engine Clock: 850 MHz
Memory Clock: 4.8 GHz (1.2 GHz DDR5)
Memory Interface: 256-bit
CRT Max Resolution: 2048 x 1536
DVI Max Resolution: 2560 x 1600
Here’s our PassMark benchmark results:
CPU Compression: 18155.2KB/s
CPU Encryption: 109.5MB/s
Find Prime Number: 1284.2 operations per second
CPU Integer Math: 503.9 million operations per second
CPU Floating Point: 2144.4 million operations per second
Graphics 3D Simple: 4096.8 fps (32-bit)
Graphics 3D Medium: 607.8 fps (32-bit)
Graphics 3D Complex: 70.3 fps (32-bit)
CPU Mark: 4815.8
2D Graphics Mark: 449.6
3D Graphics Mark: 1528.1
Memory Mark: 751.9
Disk Mark: 578.6
Passmark Rating: 1797.7
Currently, the Asus Sabertooth 55i is by order basis only, the EAH5870 is the top model for the ATI 5 series available in the market at Php20,990. (in Philippines)
We gathered simple benchmarks of laptops and desktop PCs to get their relative performance with each other. We used PassMark Performance Test for this purpose. In this round, we looked at the Asus Eee PC 1201T.
Asus Eee PC 1201T specs:
12.1″ display @ 1366×768 pixels
AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 1.6GHz
ATI Radeon HD3200
2GB DDR2 RAM
320GB HDD
PassMark Results:
CPU Compression: 1208.8KB/s
CPU Encryption: 9.2MB/s
Find Prime Number: 108.0 operations per second
CPU Integer Math: 40.5 million operations per second
CPU Floating Point: 135.3 million operations per second
Graphics 3D Simple: 138.7 fps (32-bit)
Graphics 3D Medium: 31.4 fps (32-bit)
Graphics 3D Complex: 12.4 fps (32-bit)
CPU Mark: 232.8
2D Graphics Mark: 135.6
3D Graphics Mark: 58.4
Memory Mark: 253.2
Disk Mark: 418.6
Passmark Rating: 218.1
Windows Experience Index:
Here’s a reference for Windows Experience Index of the CPU compared to others in the netbook/ultraportable category:
We gathered simple benchmarks of laptops and desktop PCs to get their relative performance with each other. We used PassMark Performance Test for this purpose. In this round, we looked at the Lenovo ThinkPad X100e.
Lenovo ThinkPad X100e specs:
11.6″ dispay screen @ 1366×768 pixels
AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 @ 1.6GHz
ATI Radeon HD3200
2GB DDR2 RAM
250GB HDD
PassMark Results:
CPU Compression: 1296.6KB/s
CPU Encryption: 9.5MB/s
Find Prime Number: 114.7 operations per second
CPU Integer Math: 32.5 million operations per second
CPU Floating Point: 133.5 million operations per second
Graphics 3D Simple: 50.7fps (32-bit)
Graphics 3D Medium: 13.2fps (32-bit)
Graphics 3D Complex: 15.0fps (32-bit)
CPU Mark: 232.2
2D Graphics Mark: 102.1
3D Graphics Mark: 25.3
Memory Mark: 186.5
Disk Mark: 477.6
Passmark Rating: 219.1
Windows Experience Index:
Here’s a reference for Windows Experience Index of the CPU compared to others in the netbook/ultraportable category:
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